Missouri Western State University Athletics will mark its 50th season of women's sports in 2025-26 with numerous special events, commemorations and stories planned for the entire school year.
The celebration culminates with Homecoming Weekend Oct. 3-5 on the Missouri Western campus. That weekend alone will feature six sporting events along with various other celebrations, honoring both current and former female student-athletes.
The full Homecoming weekend will include a home volleyball match against Nebraska-Kearney at 6 p.m. and a home soccer match against Newman on Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
October 4 will be a full day of celebration with a home cross country match at 9 a.m., a home volleyball match against Fort Hays State at 1 p.m., the homecoming parade at 3:30 p.m., a Homecoming tailgate starting at 4 p.m. – all leading up to the Homecoming football game against Emporia State at 6 p.m. The university will honor all female student-athlete alum in attendance with a special halftime ceremony.
"This year marks an incredible milestone in our history," said Andy Carter, MWSU Director of Athletics. "We are excited for the plans to welcome back and honor our pioneers and trailblazers from six different decades. While we will focus efforts on homecoming weekend, this will mark a true season-long celebration that cannot be contained by one single event."
The university will plan a winter signature event centered around a basketball game, and a spring event centered around a softball game with details on those coming at a later date.
Missouri Western women's sports will honor this milestone throughout the year by wearing a commemorative '50 Years' patch on their uniforms. The Griffon football team will also wear the 50 year design as secondary decal on their helmets.
This commemorative patch not only honors 1975 as the first year of women's sports, but also honors the late Charlie Burri – Missouri Western's first athletic director who oversaw the start of women's sports. Burri passed away this past April.
More details will be released in the coming weeks. If you are interested in attending the October 4th Homecoming reunion, please email Senior Associate Athletic Director Ryan Menley at jmenley@missouriwestern.edu for more information.
Hotel Information
RSVP Here!
